In U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,057, issued June 12, 1979, a method is described for preventing the accumulation of excessive fatty deposits in the livers of mammals. It has long been known that ingestion of ethyl alcohol in mammals, including man, frequently results in the accumulation of excessive fatty deposits in the liver. In many cases, this accumulation tends to become irreversible and may lead to serious consequences, particularly alcohol-induced hepatitis and, ultimately, cirrhosis.
The invention described in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,057 resides in the discovery that excessive fatty deposits in the liver can be reduced or prevented from occurring by administering a therapeutic composition consisting of a mixture of pyruvate and dihydroxyacetone to which may be added riboflavin. These substances are natural metabolites which occur in the body as a result of normal digestive processes. Heretofore, however, there has been no appreciation of any correlation between the accumulation of fatty deposits in the liver, usually due to the ingestion of alcohol, and the accumulation of fat in other parts of the body.